Match Corps Alumni in Education Policy and Reform

Looking for a Job that will Lead to a Career in Education Policy or Reform?

Consider a gap-year in the most competitive urban education fellowship in the country

“I currently work on the Portfolio team at the Recovery School District in Louisiana. We are a team of policy wonks whose primary job is to create conditions for entrepreneurs to build high-performing charter schools in Louisiana’s lowest performing school districts. My Match Corps experience helped me get to this type of role in two important ways. First, Match’s pre-service training introduced me to the field of education policy… Second, I got to see firsthand what a talented team of adults could accomplish with low-income students, which continues to inspire me every day. “

“With college graduation just around the corner, I’d thought about law school but knew I wasn’t ready for it, yet. I wasn’t afraid of hard work – I just wanted to do something that would teach me how to make a difference. When I heard about Match Corps, and the opportunities to work with students and other like-minded recent college grads, I jumped at it. That year changed my life, and though I am now licensed to practice law in Massachusetts, I still choose to affect change in education. Match Corps gave me that spark, and now the work I do is trailblazing.”

Tiffany Chen, Match Corps IIIDirector of Teacher Engagement at The New Teacher ProjectBoston University School of Law ‘10

"As a Match tutor, I learned the value of making strong connections with students and families, and I saw the power in using data to address misconceptions and close skill gaps as quickly as possible. I also had the privilege of living with peers who worked harder than anyone I had ever met before. Our Corps members never stopped until they found the way to best help their students, and I strove to mirror this tenacity every day. I learned how be truly solution-oriented at Match, and this mentality helps me in every facet of my current position, whether I am tackling a new data puzzle, rolling out dismissal logistics, or supporting a struggling advisee."

Jill Kahane, Match Corps VISenior Coordinator of Data Management and Special Projects, UP Academy Charter School of Boston

“My time at UCSD studying education and child development taught me two things: 1) I loved education and wanted to continue to work in the field 2) I did NOT want to be a teacher and rather fell in love with topics surrounding education policy and reform. These two facts brought me to Match Education, where I was able to work with kids and watch the education reform movement in action. I was able to see the real challenges schools face on a day-to-day basis. I was able to see what reformers talk about when they speak of alternative teacher training, the school choice movement, English Language Learner instruction, needs for differentiated curriculum, and the importance of enrichment programs. After starting my graduate program and in looking back at my experience at Match, I would highly recommend the program for anyone interested in the education policy field. Match is on the forefront of innovative education; there is not a day that goes by in my classes or in my internship where I don’t use the knowledge I learned during my two years at Match Education. Match not only gave me the knowledge and skills I needed to work in the education policy field, it heightened my drive and resolve to be part of the urban education reform movement at the policy level."